This invention relates generally to vehicle article carriers and more particularly to a detachable carrier for transporting bicycles on the rear end of a motor vehicle.
The increased popularity of bicycles and major changes in vehicle designs have created a need for an improved and easy to use carrier for transporting bicycles on motor vehicles. The two styles of bicycle carriers heretofore available, namely, the roof mounted carrier and the rear bumper mounted carrier are deficient in certain aspects. The roof carrier has the advantage of non-obstructed rear vision. However, it has not been widely accepted by the public because of its large size, unsightly appearance and high lift height for loading bicycles.
The rear bumper mounted carrier has been popular because of its smaller size and low lift height. However, the rear bumper mounted carrier has been difficult to attach to a vehicle, difficult to use and/or structurally deficient. Moreover, the substitution, in most passenger vehicles, of soft energy absorbing bumpers for steel bumpers has almost entirely obsoleted the bumper mounted carrier.
Another deficiency in many rear bumper mounted carriers has been the use of retaining ropes and straps for securing bicycles to the carriers. The use of the retaining ropes and straps has caused the reliability of the bicycle mountings to depend on some extent on the skill and care of the user.